Fort Covington is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Franklin County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The population was 1,531 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from a

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

fortification. The original name of the town was ''French Mills''. The town is on the county's northern border, which is also the

Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

History

The area of what is now Fort Covington was settled during the 1790s by people from southern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, who were drawn to the area by a need for people to work at the mills located on the Salmon River. The village was first named French Mills. In July 1813, a

blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

was built here to shelter wounded soldiers and to provide a winter headquarters. In 1817, French Mills was re-named to Fort Covington, named after Brigadier General Leonard Covington, who had been mortally wounded during the Battle of Chrysler's Farm on November 11, 1813, in the

. In 1833, the western part of Fort Covington was made into the town of

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

. The Fort Covington–Dundee Border Crossing was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2014 as the U.S. Inspection Station–Fort Covington, New York.

Geography

Fort Covington is in northwestern Franklin County, in northern New York. It is bordered to the west by the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation. The northern town line is the international border with

(province of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land. New York State Route 37 crosses the middle of the town, leading west to Massena and southeast to Malone.

Quebec Route 132 Route 132 is the longest highway in Quebec. It follows the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River from the border with the state of New York (state), New York in the hamlet of Dundee, Quebec, Dundee (connecting with New York State Route 3 ...

serves the area via Dundee Road and Water Street.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,645 people, 621 households, and 466 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 706 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 87.13%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.36%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 10.81% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.22% of the population. There were 621 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,532, and the median income for a family was $39,205. Males had a median income of $26,369 versus $22,011 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $14,932. About 10.3% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Fort Covington

*Cooks Corner – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

by the southern town line at the junction of County Roads 3 and 32. *Fort Covington – The hamlet of Fort Covington was once a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

within the town, incorporated in 1889, but abandoned that status in 1976. The community is located at the junction of NY-37 and County Road 42 and is a port of entry. The area around the hamlet comprising the northern half of the entire town is now listed as the Fort Covington Hamlet census-designated place. *Fort Covington Center – A hamlet near the southern town line on County Road 42. *Pike Creek – A stream flowing northward through the town toward the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

. *Salmon River – A stream flowing through the town.

Notable people

* George Hyer, Wisconsin newspaperman, farmer and politician * A. Warren Phelps, Wisconsin businessman and politician

References

External links

Early Fort Covington history
{{authority control Towns in Franklin County, New York Towns in New York (state)